Fishing and Baseball Magic in North America
Modern Approaches to Baseball and Fishing Echo Traditional Beliefs
Jul 28, 2009
One of the best known examples of the supernatural being invoked in mundane, secular North American society is in Baseball. Anthropologist George Gmelch detailed this in his article “Baseball Magic.” Despite vastly different settings and activities, Gmelch showed how American Baseball players and Trobriand Islander’s relied on similar supernatural forces for success. Baseball players are not the only modern North American group which approaches an activity in a manner analogous to a traditional society. On many sport fishing television shows, the approach to fishing taken by sport fisherman is very close to the approach of some North American indigenous cultures, such as the North American Cree.
Both Baseball and Sport Fishing Reflect Traditional Indigenous Beliefs
In his article “Baseball Magic”, Anthropologist George Gmelch showed that in American society, the invocation of supernatural forces was not uncommon, at least on the baseball field. Gmelch described how baseball players would subject themselves to elaborate rituals in order to achieve success in baseball, and also chronicled a belief in supernatural taboo and talismans (fetishes) by baseball players. The amount of supernatural forces “invoked” by baseball players was largest for the areas of the game which the indivudal players had the least control over.
Sport fishing is another activity in which the approach taken by the participants echoes traditional indigenous approaches. Unlike baseball, where the activity (baseball) is completely different than the Trobriand activity Gmelch compared it to (fishing), sport fishing can be related directly to the traditional approach to fishing of some indigenous North American groups, including the Cree.
Sport Fishermen Catch Fish That are Ready to be Caught
In the introductory anthropology text Native Peoples: The Canadian Experience, it is explained that when the Cree were having difficulty catching a certain species of animal, they would abandon it because it meant the animal was not "ready to be caught." A successful fishing trip meant the fish were willing to be caught. On several sport fishing shows, such as Global TV’s Real Fishing and Whata Catch, the commentary by the fishers is similar to this. While attempting to reel in their catches, the fishermen repeatedly referred to the fish as “not ready to be caught” when they were still struggling with the fish, and gave the fish other sentient traits as well. Like the Cree, the fishermen were framing the situation so that both sides were willing participants in the catch. They were not simply taking the fish, the fish was giving itself to them.
Like baseball, fishing is marked by the use of supernatural force and traditional beliefs. As fishing, unlike baseball, is an activity which is practiced both in modern and traditional societies, the correlation in the beliefs is even greater. Despite their cultures being very different, fishers from both societies have numerous similar behaviours within their shared profession.
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